Testing of pressure parts and large diameter tubes or piping (e.g., where the diameter is greater than 300 mm) using nondestructive testing techniques is an arduous task, particularly when testing girth and seam welds. For example, the parts to be measured are oftentimes installed in areas that require compact handheld equipment that the testing personnel operate by hand. Fully automated or semi-automated testing equipment can be bulky and too cumbersome for installation in these inaccessible areas. Further, using advanced handheld equipment (e.g., hand-guided scanners), the sensors (e.g., time of flight diffraction sensors, phased array, electromagnetic acoustic transducers, etc.) are mounted on the scanner and the data acquisition units, as well as the display unit, are both physically separate from the scanner and linked together via cabling. As a result, oftentimes two operators are needed to conduct the testing: one tester that guides the scanner, and another tester that observes the data acquisition process. If using only one operator, the data acquisition component and data display unit would need to be in the same location for simultaneous scanning and observation of the data. However, when testing in a confined space, e.g., boiler equipment, this may not be possible.
What is needed, therefore, is a compact, self-contained scanning device that enables a single operator to conduct both the testing and the data acquisition and observation activities with respect to a metallurgical, nondestructive test.